Is there someone in your life who is waiting for your witness? This weekend Pastor Jamie Kemp shared a message about how we share our faith with others.
Acts 1:8
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.
A witness is someone who shares what they have seen or experienced. To be a witness, we don’t have to argue or debate, we just have to share how Jesus has changed our lives.
1) What if the call to witness isn’t as geographical as it is relational?
Jerusalem was home for the disciples. The Holy Spirit’s power is first directed at those who are already a part of our daily lives. Before we ever go across the ocean to witness, we should go across the room.
2) Sometimes those closest to us are the hardest to reach.
The hardest people to witness to are often the people who know us best. They know our flaws and our failures. And yet, Jesus tells us to START THERE! Why? Because transformed lives preach loudest to those who knew the old you.
3) The Gospel spreads most quickly through common community.
Judea was place of common culture, language and experience. This is the next place for our witness, because those commonalities are a natural bridge to share with others.
4) The Gospel is not limited to those who are like us.
For the disciples, Samaria was not primarily about distance, it was about discomfort. There was a history of hostility between these people, but Jesus still called his disciples to go there. The church becomes unhealthy when it only serves people who look alike, think alike, vote alike, dress alike, and live alike.
5) Jesus always sends us towards the people we would naturally stay away from.
Jesus’ final command before ascending was not, “Build comfortable churches.” It was, “Take the Good News to the world.” From the beginning, God’s heart has been global.
The Holy Spirit is not inspiration or religious decoration. The Holy Spirit gives us the power to reshape and change our environment. Just like dynamite changes landscapes, the power (DUNAMIS) of the Holy Spirit is given to us to be witnesses in our Jerusalem, in our Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth!
